Equipment Hit Points

(Optional) Equipment, like living creatures, can be destroyed. Each piece of equipment will therefore have a number of hit points. When the item has taken enough damage, it will become unusable.

Most items will only take damage from being directly attacked, which does not generally happen ("Die, vile pair of shoes! Take that, you hideous tie!"). Of course, there are exceptions.

Any time an item is dropped, it may take damage. This depends on the type of item. Something made out of cloth would not be damaged by hitting the floor, but a crystal glass would. It also depends on the type of surface the item hits and how far the item falls before impact. The results of dropping an item are up to the GM, although it may be useful to consult the section dealing with falling damage, in the Combat chapter.
Any time a piece of armour absorbs a point of damage, both the armour and the weapon which hit it take that many points of damage. However, Body Armour (see description under Skill Descriptions) cannot be damaged or destroyed.

Some types of items may be repaired, while others cannot. Once a glass is cracked, it generally stays cracked (although it can be glued back together, and maybe even fixed with some technique still to be discovered). However, armour can often be patched. Your common sense should be able to determine what can be repaired, but the time and cost to do so is up to the GM. Many items require professional assistance to repair, while others can be fixed by almost anyone.